Habitat home dedication is Sunday

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GYPSUM — Habitat for Humanity will hold a home dedication ceremony Sunday to honor five new homeowners at the Stratton Flats neighborhood in Gypsum. Habitat will recognize these families for their successful partnership with Habitat to build their houses and celebrate their new homes.

The celebration begins at 2 p.m. at 99 Jules Drive in Gypsum. The dedication ceremony will recognize the friends, community members and businesses that generously contributed to the building process. The families will have an opportunity to express their gratitude and we have the opportunity to applaud them on their commitment to realizing their dream of homeownership . The celebration will continue with a neighborhood barbecue and potluck including games and activities.

“There is a lot to celebrate given all the love and hard work that went in to building these homes,” said Kristi Moon, PR and marketing director of Habitat Vail Valley

Each of these five families contributed a minimum of 250 hours per adult family member toward construction. The families have the opportunity to learn during each stage of construction which allows them to understand their new homes from the inside out. Families also undertake self-sufficiency classes including budgeting, home maintenance, landscaping and other skills needed to be responsible homeowners.

Habitat for Humanity’s goal is to help hard-working families realize their dream of home ownership. Families must earn between 35 and 60 percent of the Area Median Income, roughly $29,000 to $51,000 per year for a family of four. Families pay for their homes with a small down payment and a zero interest mortgage. Through discounted and donated services, volunteer labor and fund raising efforts Habitat is able to keep the cost of the homes down compared to traditional home building methods.

The home dedication ceremony will be hosted by Joe Stainbrook, Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps member. Stainbrook has worked closely with these and other local Habitat Partner Families as he nears completion of his 10 months of service as an AmeriCorps Volunteer.

“When you start to get thank you letters from family members for helping them build their home, that’s when it is really memorable and you love what you do,” Stainbrook said.

The keys will be presented to the new homeowners by the following partners who helped make these homes possible: Trish French from Thrivent Financial, Ben Gochberg from Wells Fargo, Albert Quintana of Icon Excavation, Lana Gallegos from the town of Gypsum and JJ Plymell of Highland Plumbing and Heating.